The city of Stamford is considering closing off part of South State Street adjacent to the train station to allow for pedestrian-only traffic. Under the plan, the city would give the street to the state to maintain as part of the state highway system. less

The city of Stamford is considering closing off part of South State Street adjacent to the train station to allow for pedestrian-only traffic. Under the plan, the city would give the street to the state to ... more

The city of Stamford is considering closing off part of South State Street adjacent to the train station to allow for pedestrian-only traffic. Under the plan, the city would give the street to the state to maintain as part of the state highway system. less

The city of Stamford is considering closing off part of South State Street adjacent to the train station to allow for pedestrian-only traffic. Under the plan, the city would give the street to the state to ... more

STAMFORD -- City representatives are considering closing a 2,000-foot section of South State Street near the train station to make way for a low-profile redevelopment plan being pursued by state transportation officials.

The state Department of Transportation has been pursuing a private-public partnership to build a mix of retail, office and housing at the existing garage and move parking for the station up to a quarter mile away.

City Rep. Harry Day, R-13, chairman of the land-use committee, urged approval of the resolution to discontinue the stretch of the road, though he said he shared frustration about the DOT's continued silence about details of the redevelopment plans. Details of the proposals put forward by three developers have been kept from public review by the DOT under conditions of the negotiation process.

"This can take as long as we want to take," Day said. "If the report comes back to us and we don't like it, we can say no."

"Can't we start this process with some information first?" McMullen said. "The only information we have so far is that the DOT has moved ahead with this thing without consideration for the residents and the city of Stamford."

McMullen said it was unwise for the city to begin weighing handing over South State Street before the DOT reveals the proposals to public scrutiny by either awarding it or sharing details outright, given that the proposal might relocate parking to Greenwich Avenue or the outer limits of the proscribed quarter mile from the station or involve other ill-received changes to traffic flow or property.

"The issue is it is within quarter of a mile that they can go place the garage and placing the garage over there is going to upset our constituents who might have to walk a quarter mile from Greenwich Avenue to the train station," McMullen said. "And we can't get word one from the DOT about what they are doing."

City Economic Development Director Laure Aubuchon who submitted the proposal on behalf of Mayor Michael Pavia, said being unable to field questions from residents about the project was "extremely frustrating." Aubuchon also sits on Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's appointed five-member committee advising the DOT on the redevelopment.

Connecticut DOT spokesman Judd Everhart said the roadway capacity of South State Street would not be reduced in the final configuration of any of the projects contemplated, though there is expected to be disruptions to traffic patterns on the roadways surrounding the station, including South State Street during work on the redevelopment and other projects to replace the Atlantic Street bridge, add a new pedestrian bridge crossing Washington Boulevard, and federally funded projects for other improvements to the station.

In the request for proposal last year, the DOT said it did not own some portions of South State Street, but that developers could assume the DOT would own or have the right to develop all portions of South State Street within the DOT property within eight months of construction beginning.

"I just don't understand why there has to be so much secrecy?" McGarry said. "Why can't we have more information? We have to give up something for them to tell us? "

Day said that fears that the ultimate decision to discontinue the road would take two or more months and involve the whole legislature, which he said would reject turning over the road without further details.

"The secrecy is extremely aggravating," Day said. "Our role tonight is to find that it may be in the public interest based on the statement of our development director. I think that is enough."

Under the city Charter, Pavia must ask the city's Office of Operations to prepare an assessment of the necessary steps and cost of discontinuing the street, and the director of administration to assess the value of the land.

Ultimately the city legislature must hold three noticed public hearings on the resolution, which also requires the approval of the Planning Board, Board of Finance, and the mayor, according to the Charter.

Pavia did not return calls for comment for this story.

Commuters at the meeting said they hoped the city would hold back on the process of discontinuing the street, complaining about what they feel had been a lack of public outreach and involvement of commuters in the process.

"In the last year I've gone to every meeting I've been aware of about the transportation center and adding a train station on East Main Street and everything has been shrouded in secrecy," Melissa Bontemps said.

Zoila Atencio, another commuter who collected nearly 100 signatures on a petition protesting the lack of conspicuous notices at the station to tell commuters about the negotiation and projects said most commuters want the garage to remain in its current location.

"Ninety-five percent of the commuters are against this," Atencio said. "We vote and we are residents. They can't do whatever they want."